A Torc, a type of solid necklace that must be forcibly bent to wear or take off. They were worn for long periods of time.A Kayan woman wearing traditional neck rings.
Permanent jewellery is a category of jewellery or adornment that is designed to be worn for long continuous periods, or cannot be removed without special tools like keys or pliers.[1] Another type is items that can be removed but the owner foregoes or is forbidden from removing. Permanent jewellery can have great personal, religious, cultural, or interpersonal[2] significance for the wearer. Some adornments are put on by the wearer but others are specifically placed on the wearer by someone else as part of a ritual or trust exercise. Other items of permanent jewellery require significant effort or skill to make and are placed on the wearer by the artist.
There are a number of indigenous cultures that include permanent jewellery in their practices. Examples include the neck rings and anklets worn by the Kayan people, and Torcs which come from various cultures. The brass rings of the Kayan people can be taken off but are usually only removed to add a new longer coil, to encourage stretching of the neck.
Baptised Sikhs wear five items, called the five Ks (in Punjabi known as pañj kakkē or pañj kakār), at all times. The five items are: kēs (uncut hair), kaṅghā (small wooden comb), kaṛā (circular steel or iron bracelet), kirpān (sword/dagger), and kacchera (special undergarment).[3] The five Ks have both practical and symbolic purposes.[4]
Removal of the kaṛā is permitted by religious writing but in practice few remove the bracelet.[citation needed] Often it is put on at a young age and the bracelet becomes difficult or impossible to remove as the wearer grows. Kaṛā and the other four Ks are key to the Sikh faith and appear in the most common symbol for the religion.
Friendship, love, and marriage
A woman places a wedding ring on her wife at a marriage ceremony.Three lockets, two containing the hair of a loved one. Lockets are usually placed on a necklace or sometimes a bracelet.
A common use of Permanent Jewellery is to show love to someone and give them a reminder of you while you're away. Lockets and friendship bracelets are usually able to be removed just fine but wearing continually is meaningful to some and seen as a show of gratitude and connection.
In 1969, Aldo Cipullo created the Love Bracelet which requires a special tool to open and close. He was quoted: "What modern people want are love symbols that look semi-permanent – or, at least, require a trick to remove. After all, love symbols should suggest an everlasting quality."[2] The tool itself, a screwdriver, is also available as a piece of jewellery to be worn by the person who gifted the bracelet.
Engagement rings and wedding rings are the most common form of permanent jewellery. Most people rarely if ever remove their wedding rings and it is common to bury people with them still worn. Some types of engagement rings are designed to accompany or complete the wedding ring once it is placed. The use of soft metals such as gold causes the rings to shape to the wearer over time, making them more comfortable to wear for longer periods and also sometimes making them harder to remove.
Some items become considered permanent jewelry by the owner even though removing them is trivial. A common example is continually wearing[5] the wristwatch of a deceased relative to feel close to them.[6]
Slavery
The Moregine bracelet inscribed "from the master to his very own slave girl" in Latin.
The slaves and concubines of wealthy tyrants were sometimes forced to wear permanently affixed jewellery like metal collars and bangles. This is a luxury version of the shackles, collars, chains, or cuffs that are typical with chattel slavery. The purpose of these adornments is to identify them as a slave, prevent their escape, and sometimes encourage their kidnapping and return to slavery. Many items of this type have been found by archaeologists,[7] including the Moregine bracelet.
Modern trends
A smile adorned with a tooth gem of gold and gemstone.A lady wearing toe rings.
Newer examples of items that are only sometimes permanent include toe rings, medical bracelets, and dog tags. Some toe rings are shaped like a miniature open bangle, allowing the wearer to pinch it down to size for long-term wear.
Tongue piercings have a permanent aspect to them as the tongue heals exceptionally fast. If no piercing is in place, the hole can close up within days, or even minutes as it begins to heal.
Thin gold chains, similar to the type used in 2020-chic permanent bracelets.
In 2020, a viral trend of permanent chain bracelets took off. The thin metal chain lengths would be cut close to wrist size then welded together right on the wearer's arm leaving no visible clasp. It is only possible to remove these bracelets by breaking or cutting a link. The practice has existed since at least 2017.[11]
Collars are often permanent jewelry. Many leather, silicone, and metal collars come with highly visible heart-shaped locks or special loops designed to fit a standard lock. "Collaring" someone is a special kinkritual[12][13] and often regardless of the design, the wearer must ask the person who placed it to remove it.[13] In situations where a BDSM collar might cause unwanted attention or discomfort, a "day collar" is often worn instead. Some day collars include subtle aspects of BDSM collars like metal O rings.
Some companies like Eternity make metal BDSM-focused collars and bracelets that can be bolted together. The simple shapes used emphasize the appearance that the jewellery is one singular piece.
Chastity belts and chastity cages are another example of long-term kink wear. They are usually designed to be locking, tamper evident, or both. The person who owns the key is called the keyholder. They are usually designed to be as comfortable as possible, allowing sleeping, showering, and peeing while wearing.
↑ Easton, Dossie; Hardy, Janet W. (2001). The New Bottoming Book. Greenery Press. p.8. A ritual - say, putting on and taking off a collar - can serve to define the rules of play and the boundaries between you.
1 2 Easton, Dossie; Hardy, Janet W. (2003). The New Topping Book. Greenery Press. pp.41–42. For a slave-type scene, you can have a ritual of putting on the' bottom's collar: many tops like to have their bottoms kneel at their feet and kiss the collar before it is placed around the bottom's neck.
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